Let’s visit about phone etiquette for the home based business owner.
There is so much to cover from how to answer the phone, leaving messages, your recorded message and basic phone etiquette. I’m going to have to break this into two segments.

Let me start by reminding you, you are an entrepreneur, a business owner and your time is valuable. Unlike the receptionist whose job is to answer the phone, your job is to manage the entire business. I’ve tried to imagine what home based business might require every call to be answered at its origin, and I can’t think of any. You may be the exception. Everyone else, read on.

Years ago, I read Mary Kay Ash’s You Can Have It All. The biggest Ah-ha I took from that book was permission to not answer the phone. I know that’s crazy, but until then I believed I had to answer the phone every time it rang. With that idea, I allowed others to continually interrupt my train of thought and productiveness while subconsciously telling myself the phone was more important than my current activity. Thank you, Mary Kay, for changing that perspective.

Now that the phone no longer controls us, how do we control the phone?

1. Have a dedicated phone line for business. If your children and your spouse are not working the business with you and reading these tips, they do not answer the business line. If you choose to use the same number for personal and business use, be sure you are the only person answering those calls and always assume an unidentified caller is business.

2. Your voice mail is an extension of your business. Identify yourself and encourage callers to repeat their contact number with a detailed message. People don’t care why you didn’t answer the phone, “I’m either with a client, on another call, or in the bathroom,” too much information. We don’t care.

When you record your message, stand up and speak clearly. Your energy will be reflected in that message. Here’s my message:

This is Tami DuBose. Thank you for making my business one based on referrals. It is my goal to provide a superior level of service.

Please, leave a detailed message on how I can best serve you in order that I may be fully prepared when I return your call.

If you have been referred to me, please, leave the name of the person who recommended my services, so I can properly thank them.

Frequent callers can press the STAR key to bypass this message in the future because you’re a star, not a number.

Have an amazing Day! Here’s the lady who introduces the beep. Just press the star key.

Yes, it’s long. I like it because it weeds out the friends and family who really didn’t call with anything important in the first place. So, they usually hang up. People with real business leave messages.